…moving out.

My plan was never to move to Stamford. I grew up in a small town we fondly refer to as “the farm.” There were 2 stoplights, 1 school that encompassed 3 towns worth of kids, and no Starbucks in sight.

I went to an in-state school about 40 minutes from home so I was always pretty close by. After graduating from college I struggled to find my first “real” job. I was substitute teaching at my old middle and high schools just so that I was doing something and was constantly applying to jobs. After a year and a half of searching, I finally received an offer to start a new job…in Stamford.

Typically when people receive a job offer that requires them to relocate they will take some time to consider and figure out the logistics of moving. But my offer started in 2 weeks, and I was desperate. It was a great offer at a cool company and I dove head first into it. In 14 days I had to move my entire life nearly 2 hours away from home.

Fast forward to today – I have been living in Stamford for almost 2 years now and I am so happy that I made the choice that I did when I took my first job. Moving out of your childhood home for the first time can be terrifying. You’re responsible for much larger bills, you have to maintain your car without running to your Dad if anything breaks down, and dinner doesn’t magically appear on the table every night. I experienced a taste of this while living at college but there’s something about truly living on your own that makes it feel different.

What this move did for me was push me completely out of my comfort zone. I knew about 3 people within an hour’s distance so I didn’t have a huge support system in my immediate vicinity. Being a generally shy person, I was faced with the challenge to make new friends in a situation where I could have easily holed up in my new apartment wondering why on earth I left behind everything I ever knew. But this was the best decision I could have ever made.

When you get stuck in what you know, you tend to get too comfortable. You stop trying new things and get in the habit of doing the same old stuff over and over again. To me, this is a recipe for personal disaster. We should all have goals to aspire to greater things, both in our careers and in ourselves as human beings. I don’t believe that there is ever a point in your life where you should say, “I think I’m the best version of myself that I will ever be.” We may be the best versions of ourselves in that moment, but there is so much out there to learn, to experience, and to try for the first time that will push us to greater heights and allow us to continue growing and developing into an even better self that we never imagined was possible.Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Happy Monday everyone! Hope you enjoy these photos I captured this weekend of my new-ish “home” in Stamford.

What scares you about moving out? Do you have any advice for someone who is doing it for the first time?

2 Comments

Me again 🙂 Great post – I’ve been in that same spot many many times – actually moving to CT not knowing anyone is also how I ended up meeting Aunt Mary and now look! 🙂 The best thing is once you’ve done it, you know the next time everything will be ok and the surprises that await you make it worth leaving your comfort zone. It’s overstated but the old adage is so true: there is nothing to fear but fear itself! (I’ll stop here otherwise I’ll have to start my own blog! lol!)